NEW laws that crack down on flytipping and littering are making people in Worcester think about the environment.

A month after the regulations came into force, it was revealed that only three fixed-penalty notices of £80 had been issued - and they have all been for people dumping the free weekly paper, The Standard, in the Warndon and Warndon Villages area.

Steve Williams, Worcester City Council's enforcement officer, said regular patrols and warnings were having the desired effects. But he added that fines would be more forthcoming in the future if the softly-softly approach did not continue to make an impact. He said: "We have been breaking people in gently by having a quiet word with them if they have been spotted dropping litter. It seems to be doing the job, although we have now issued fines books to those out on patrol, which could mean more people paying a penalty.

"So far, just three littering notices have been served and they were all for dumping a free newspaper." As reported in the Worcester News on several occasions, the city council has launched a get-tough appeal on litter as a result of the new powers. The Litter Campaign Strategy aims to see the city become the cleanest in the UK within the next five years. It was launched on Wednesday, April 19, with a giant mountain of rubbish outside the Guildhall to show how much waste is generated in Worcester every day. There is a focus on educating both adults and children and raising awareness through posters and leaflets.

People are also being encouraged to set up their own litter picks and to recycle. But the biggest effect may well come from the fines. Under the Govern-ment's Clean Neighbour-hoods and Environment Act, on-the-spot fines for dropping chewing gum, fast food cartons and other rubbish can be as high as £2,500, although they have been set at £80. Community Support Officers and a new litter patrol have the powers to issue these, as the Standard found out.

Chris Bullivant, distribution director and deputy MD of Observer Standard group, which owns the Worcester Standard, said: "We work closely with the council to make sure our papers are delivered correctly.

"We pass the details on to the council if we find out someone has failed to do this and as a result these people have been fined. When you put out 500,000 newspapers a week, you will get the odd bad apple."